Sunday, September 23, 2012

How Marine LED Lights Help Prevent Vision Problems At Night

By Casandra Newton


Using marine LED lights is a smart move for nights on the water. The improvement in vision over incandescent lighting is really just the beginning. Any bright light can create spotty or burred vision, as the adjustments of sight in the darkness is a sensitive thing. These bulbs are typically used in all forms of running and anchor lights as well as instruments and anchor lighting. The glow is sharper and clearer and can be seen for greater distances. The lack of glare problems increases safety without compromising the visual needs of those on board.

Thanks to the reduction in glare the clarity is like a pinpoint of light. Back lighting of instruments is commonly done with LED bulbs because it is easy to see the necessary information without losing the ability to see the vessel's surroundings. Navigation without retinal distortion is vital to the safety of everyone. Staying on course and avoiding collisions is obviously much more difficult when you cannot see where you are going.

The same can be said for hand held instruments. The use of hand held devices that have LED bulbs is easier on the eyes regardless of who is using it. Even someone with a bright light that is sitting beyond the cockpit can be enough to cause visual distress. The individual at the helm may have some significant issues in tight navigational conditions.

Another common reason for their use is that they draw less power. They last much longer than incandescent bulbs and they do not drain the boat's batteries with the same ferocity. Safe operation throughout the night is easier when you are not consistently worried about how much energy is being used.

It is vital that the lighting system is intact and highly visible. If you do not sail at night very often, it can be hard to remember the need for an effective lighting system. This is how you communicate with other vessels in the area. You will find that the running and steaming light system is vital to letting other boats know your direction and mode of power. Sometimes the crews of other boats can even tell your speed from this information. Anchor lighting is essential to prevent night time collisions from other boats in the area that are still under power.

Navigation depends on the ability of the helmsperson to see clearly. Without any light at all, the visual capacity over water is typically better than that over land. The difficulty comes when there is an additional light source that interferes with the ability to look out over the expanse and see everything. Running aground and collisions are more common when there is a source of light strong enough to interfere with night vision.

There is one potential drawback for those who are used to having incandescent bulbs. Today's manufacturing practices of equipment allows for the continual replacement of bulbs when necessary. Older versions require that the entire housing is changed. A running light that has finally burnt out may require an entire new running light housing rather than just a bulb. This is fine provided you are prepared and have a spare with you or can gain easy access to a spare.

The ease and reliability of marine LED lights is so far greater than the use of incandescent bulbs that most manufacturers of marine supplies, boats, and instruments only use the LED version. This creates uniformity in the products that have come out over the past couple of decades and adds an element of safety for those who are taking to the water in the darkness. Clearer night vision helps to avoid accidents and creates greater energy efficiency on board.




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